Committed Widorians will need no urging to
acquire this intelligently compiled, generously
assembled paean to a composer who claimed
he was ‘born in an organ pipe’ and came to
dominate the French organ school.

With two DVDs, two CDs, a combined
viewing and listening time of more than
seven hours and an 86-page colour-illustrated
booklet, this is a lavish package indeed, and one
worthy of its subject.

The first DVD offers a watchable and informative
documentary
portrait of a composer at the epicentre of the
profound changes in
organ building and music-making that blossomed in
France after
the fallow period following the Revolution.
Erudite contributions
from Widor biographers John R. Near and
Anne-Isabelle de
Parcevaux are skilfully intercut with commentary
and performances
by Gerard Brooks.

All offer revealing insights into matters as
diverse as Widor’s
fixation with posture at the organ (one
contemporary noted
he looked ‘almost like royalty’), his vast
library of 7,000 books
on subjects both apposite and arcane, and the
development of
his compositional style – variously influenced by
Bach, Wagner
and plainchant – towards symphonic gesture and
orchestral
sophistication. Similarly with considerations of
Widor’s
contributions to operas, ballets, chamber and
orchestral music and
the wider context he inhabited.

Discussions on his illustrious predecessor
Lefébure-Wély, his
teacher Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens and the support
of organ builder
Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, who chose Widor to
inaugurate many new
instruments, also contribute much of interest and
value.

The second DVD features complete performances of
the Fifth and
Sixth Symphonies and movements from the other
five by Brooks
and Daniel Roth – his recorded live –
together with the Symphonie gothique
played by Carolyn Shuster Fournier.
(All also feature on the two accompany-
ing CDs.)

On the portrait DVD, Will Fraser’s
direction is deftly eloquent, Simon Still’s
camera observant but unobtrusive and
the unaccredited editing elegantly fluid
and involving.

Plaudits, too, for the supporters
of the crowd-funding campaign that
produced this fine and essential release.